Fans of the Irish rock band U2 who recently attended their Miami performance were no doubt amazed to see Bono and the Edge sporting rumpled black leather jackets on stage despite the 90 degree heat. To achieve that same tousled rock star look, head to Allsaints Spitalfields on Lincoln Road Mall where the tattoo print tees, designer jeans and distressed leather separates, boots and accessories turn any outfit into an edgy entrance maker. The brand has grown by leaps and bounds by tapping into the potent grunge and glamour appeal of rock music imagery.
Originally established as a men’s clothing line in the United Kingdom in 1994, the sportswear’s body-conscious tailoring, fine-gauge knitwear and worn-in leather so captivated the fairer sex, a full women’s range was added in 1998. The original shop – named for All Saints Road in trendy Notting Hill – has expanded to include dozens of stand alone stores and concessions in major department stores across the globe. The rebellious Allsaints look evokes creativity, fashion and music. It may be tough to carry off a faux-goth leather outfit on sunny South Beach outside a few cool weeks in January, but that does not seem to deter the long lines of customers standing in the shadow of the ram skulls that line the walls over the cash desk.
Retail shops – much like the lofty space transformed into the Lincoln Road flagship – are carefully crafted to look as distressed as the pricey merchandise with exposed beams, rough-hewn bricks and mortar plus a heavy helping of iron, steel and repurposed vintage machinery. Both the South Beach shop and the wildly successful Aventura Mall location incorporate dozens of antique sewing machines to suggest a retro, hand-crafted element to the fabrication. 910 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL 33139 (786) 517-8180